Organizing Part 1

This week I'm focusing on organizing my home and I thought I'd share a few tips that I find helpful.

Today I'm focusing on organizing  the refrigerator.  I know, I know try to contain your excitement...most of us hate to do this, and therefore don't do it often enough.  I actually enjoy organizing (don't be jealous, it's a blessing and a curse).  Like you all know, when you like something you're good at it.  I consider myself to be an efficient organizer, so here's how I keep my fridge in order.

1)  I put leftovers toward the front.  In this way they get eaten, saving time and money on food prep.
2)  I keep all beverages on the top shelf, and on one door shelf.
3)  I keep products in containers, some dairy, eggs, and leftover on the second shelf.
4)  I keep bread products and nuts on the forth shelf.  It is best to store raw nuts in the fridge if possible.  
     Salted and roasted nuts are fine in the pantry as the salt/sugar preserves them.
5)  Cheese and meat are in the small drawer.
6)  The middle drawer contains my produce that needs to be in a crisper.
7)  The bottom drawer contains produce that needs to stay dry like onions, garlic, and potatoes.  Potatoes    
      are best kept in the pantry, as long as your house is cool.
8)  On the door I have butter or butter spread on top
9)  Next is olives, pickles, capers, soy sauce, minced garlic and such
10)  condiments below that
11)  beverages
12)  sweet stuff, like preserves maple syrup whipped cream, peanut butter

I arrange my freezer as well

1)  I keep meat in the two upper sections
2)  Next breakfast items and frozen snack/appetizers
3)  Below that is lunch items
4)  In the bottom drawer I keep frozen veggies
On the door I keep ice packs, ice cream or desserts, boxed frozen veggies, chopped frozen veggies (this is what I call my freezer pantry),  and single serve frozen dinners and pancakes or waffles.

My refrigerator doesn't always stay or look like this, but it IS what I go bak to when it gets disorganized.

One thing you'll notice is that I don't have an overly abundant amount of food, and I did just do a full weeks grocery shopping.  It is so much easier with your refrigerator, and with everything else I can think of, to keep organized when you have less.

Trust me when I say that keeping your refrigerator organized will save you SOOO much time and money.